Take a look at this monster’s round jaw. It looks horrifying. But this creature is fantastic, as it can survive in extreme environments that would kill people and most animals and even survive the vacuum of space. It can stand temperatures of as low as -273 degrees C (-460 degrees F) and as high as 151 degrees C (303 degrees F). It can stay alive after boiling in hot water, and getting 1,000 times more radiation than humans. It can spend almost a decade without water and food. Probably, these monsters would have seized our Planet by now if not two circumstances. On the one hand, they are extremely small (the biggest adults are able to reach a body length of 1.5 mm). On the other hand, they are slow walkers. They are even called Tardigrada because of this.

Tardigrades (commonly known as water bears or moss piglets) ...are polyextremophiles and are able to survive in extreme environments that would kill almost any other animal. Some can survive temperatures of -273C (-460F), close to absolute zero, temperatures as high as 151C (303F), 1,000 times more radiation than other animals, and almost a decade without water.

In September 2007, tardigrades were taken into low Earth orbit on the FOTON-M3 mission and for 10 days were exposed to the vacuum of space. After they were returned to Earth, it was discovered that many of them survived and laid eggs that hatched normally, making these the only animals known to be able to survive the vacuum of space.